Concrete Sand: Size, Uses, and Cost Per Ton (2026)

Concrete sand is coarse, washed sand graded for mixing concrete, and it is the standard sand under pavers. It costs about $16 to $45 per ton, or $18 to $63 per cubic yard, at the yard in 2026, and weighs 1.35 to 1.5 tons per cubic yard.

What Makes It Concrete Sand

Concrete needs sand with a spread of grain sizes, so the small grains fill the gaps between the larger ones and the cement binds them into a dense mix. Concrete sand is graded to ASTM C33, the spec for fine aggregate in concrete, and washed to take out clay and silt that would weaken it. Grains run up to about 3/16 inch, which gives it a gritty feel.

Some regions call a coarse concrete sand torpedo sand. Paver installers call it bedding sand. Ask the yard which spec its sand meets if the name is unfamiliar.

What It Is Used For

• Mixing concrete with cement and gravel.
• Bedding layer under pavers and flagstone. A 1 inch screeded layer over compacted base. Its coarse grains lock together and drain, where fine sand would wash out.
• Pipe bedding and backfill where the spec calls for clean sand.
• Base under pools and hot tubs, where drainage matters.
• Mixing into heavy soil to improve drainage in garden beds, usually with compost.
• Traction sand on icy drives and walks.

Where It Does Not Belong

• Not in mortar. The coarse grains make mortar hard to work into thin joints. Use mason sand.
• Not as play sand. It is gritty and less comfortable for sandboxes.
• Not in paver joints. Joints take polymeric sand or a fine joint sand, not bedding sand.

Concrete Sand vs Mason Sand

Concrete sand is coarser and drains faster. Mason sand is finer and smoother. Concrete sand makes better concrete and paver bedding. Mason sand makes better mortar and play sand. Price is usually close, so choose by the job.

How Much to Order

One cubic yard covers about 324 square feet at 1 inch, the usual paver bedding depth, or 162 square feet at 2 inches. A 12 by 20 foot paver patio needs about 0.75 cubic yards of bedding sand at 1 inch, roughly one ton. For mixing concrete by hand, figure about 1,200 to 1,400 pounds of sand per cubic yard of concrete.

What to Avoid

Do not use concrete sand for mortar or for paver joints. Do not buy unwashed sand for a concrete pour; clay and silt weaken the mix.